Joya's Fun School
A WPIX children's series hosted by Joya Sherrill.
Joya Sherrill, a former singer with Duke Ellington’s jazz band, hosted a children’s television program on WPIX-TV in New York City. The show began as a Sunday-morning series called Time For Joya in February 1970, then shifted to a weekly format under the title Joya’s Fun School from September 1971 until November 1982. Alongside Sherrill, the regular cast included musical director Luther Henderson (known as the Professor), cartoonist Brumsic Brandon Jr. (who performed as Mr. B.B.), and a puppet named Seymour the Bookworm.
Each episode mixed stories, songs, and activities, with segments devoted to games, crafts, hobbies, and storytelling. Comedy skits featured Seymour, while Henderson provided musical accompaniment. The show also included informational pieces and interviews with guest personalities. Over its run, the program aired at various times on Fridays, and briefly on Saturday mornings, before concluding in late 1982. Some footage from the series is available on YouTube.
Quick Facts
- Host
- Joya Sherrill
- Network
- WPIX-TV (New York City)
- Cast members
- Luther Henderson
- Brumsic Brandon Jr.
- Seymour the Bookworm
- Musical director
- Luther Henderson
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Joya Sherrill was a former vocalist with Duke Ellington's Jazz Band before hosting the show.
- After moving to Iran in 1976, Sherrill produced and hosted a children's TV show on a national network there, teaching English to Americans and Persian to Iranians.
- The series aired in over a dozen different timeslots on WPIX, including as early as 6:30 a.m. and as late as 3 p.m.
History
In 1969, Joya Sherrill, who had previously sung with Duke Ellington’s jazz band, told her manager she wanted her own TV show. Around the same time, WPIX-TV in New York was looking for a woman to host a children’s program. The first version, called Time For Joya, debuted as a Sunday morning show on February 22, 1970, and ran until September 5, 1971. It then moved to Mondays at 9 a.m. from September 13, 1971, to March 22, 1972, becoming a 30-minute educational series.
From April 7 to July 28, 1972, it aired Fridays at noon. One notable guest on a 1970 episode was Duke Ellington himself, who, in one of his last TV appearances, played music and told stories and jokes. On August 4, 1972, the show was renamed Joya’s Fun School, still a half-hour educational program, and continued Fridays at noon until March 30, 1973, after which it moved to 3 p.m. It took a short break and returned on April 20, though it is not known whether those episodes were new or reruns.
The show taped 26 episodes per year for an unspecified period. It aired at least through May 22, 1981, in its original noon slot, and through October 1, 1982, at 2 p.m. For a brief stretch, from October 9 to November 13, 1982, it ran Saturday mornings at 6 a.m. In 1976, Sherrill accompanied her husband to Iran, where he oversaw construction of a residential complex. While there, she produced and hosted a children’s show on a national network that broadcast in English. After returning to the U.S., she recalled in 1979 that in Iran...
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